Nunez is a player in-demand in Europe ahead of the summer transfer window, and he is expected to move on from Benfica in the summer, even though he still has more than three years left on his current deal at the club.
Newcastle and West Ham are both keen on recruiting a new striker in the forthcoming window and Nunez is on both of their wish lists, while their Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal have also been in contact with Benfica.
Even though Nunez plays a key role under Verissimo, the Benfica caretaker coach admitted that top players will always attract interest from elsewhere in a competitive market and losing players to other clubs is just a reality of being in professional football.
Asked whether he is fearful of seeing Nunez leave Benfica in the summer, Verissimo told a press conference: “It’s the law of the market.
“Obviously, players like Darwin, the best players, the idea would be to keep them all, but we are in a competitive market, where clubs need funds for daily management.”
Verissimo stressed that if Nunez leaves Benfica in the summer, he and everyone at the club need to accept his departure as that is the way the market works.
“At the end of the season, if he has to go, depending on the interests of other clubs and Benfica, we have to accept that exit, but it’s the law of the market.”
The Uruguayan is also likely to change his current agent and sign up with Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes in the summer.
